Electrically powered ride-on vehicle with intuitive control

ABSTRACT

In an aspect, a powered vehicle is provided, and includes a body to support a rider. At least one wheel is rotatably coupled to the body to enable travel of the body over a travel surface. At least one motor is coupled to at least one of the at least one wheel to drive rotation thereof. A power source is coupled to the at least one motor to power the at least one motor. A remote sensor unit is wearable by the rider and configured to detect at least one of an orientation, a position, and movement of the rider and transmit sensor data generated therefrom. A motor control unit is coupled to the at least one motor and is configured to receive the sensor data and control the operation of the at least one motor based at least in part on the sensor data.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/904,612, filed on Feb. 26, 2018, which isa continuation-in-part of and claims the benefit of PCT applicationPCT/IB2017/051519, filed on Jan. 31, 2017, which claims the benefit ofU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/289,305, filed on Jan. 31,2016, the contents of both of which are incorporated herein by referencein their entirety.

FIELD

This disclosure relates to electrically powered ride-on vehicles, suchas electrically powered scooters, skateboards and other foot deck-basedvehicles.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Powered foot-deck-based vehicles are known in the art. For example,iCarbot markets a motorized wheeled board using pressure sensors on thestanding platform to detect changes in weight distribution to drive theboard.

Zboard sells a skateboard with powered wheels where pressure sensors onthe board detect movement of the rider's feet to control the speed ofthe wheels.

CN202740750 U discloses an electric scooter controlled by so-called limbaction, where infrared light sensors on the foot platform track theposition and movement of a rider's feet. The tracked position andmovement of the rider's feet is then used to control the electricscooter.

CA2492393A1 discloses an electric vehicle where its movement can becontrolled via sensors on a foot-deck of the vehicle that detect theload distribution on the vehicle. Similarly, CN2673465Y discloses anelectric vehicle where one or more sensors in a foot-deck of the vehicledetect the centre-of-gravity of a rider, which is used to control themovement of the vehicle.

CN203232269U discloses an electrically powered board with a remotecontrol and a safety system, whereby the board stops automatically ifthe distance between the board and the remote control exceeds a selectedminimum distance.

Boosted Boards (boostedboards.com) provides an electrically poweredskateboard with a hand-held and operated remote control that providescommands to a controller on the skateboard via Bluetooth™ radiocommunications. The manual operation of the remote control while ridingatop of the skateboard can be awkward and unintuitive, and can interferewith the rider's use of his arms to control his or her balance on theskateboard.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In one aspect, there is provided a powered foot-deck-based vehicle,comprising a foot-deck configured to support a rider thereon, at leastone wheel rotatably coupled to the foot-deck to enable travel of thefoot-deck over a travel surface, at least one motor coupled to at leastone of the at least one wheel to drive rotation thereof, a power sourcecoupled to the at least one motor to power the at least one motor, aremote sensor unit that is wearable by the rider and is configured todetect at least one of an orientation, a position, and movement of therider and transmit sensor data generated therefrom, and a motor controlunit coupled to the at least one motor and configured to receive thesensor data from the remote sensor unit and control the operation of theat least one motor based at least in part on the sensor data.

In one aspect, there is provided a powered, foot-deck-based vehicle,comprising a foot-deck configured to support a rider thereon, at leastone wheel rotatably coupled to the foot-deck to enable travel of thefoot-deck over a travel surface, at least one motor coupled to at leastone of the at least one wheel to drive rotation thereof, a power sourcecoupled to the at least one motor to power the at least one motor, aremote sensor unit that is wearable by the rider and is configured todetect at least one spatial property of the remote sensor selected froman orientation, a position, and movement and is configured to transmitsensor data generated therefrom, and a motor control unit coupled to theat least one motor and configured to receive the sensor data from theremote sensor unit and control the operation of the at least one motorbased in part on the at least one spatial property and based in part ona rate of change of the at least one spatial property. The motor controlunit changes power to the motor at a first rate of change of powerduring movement of the remote sensor unit at a first rate of change ofposition, and the motor control unit changes power to the at least onemotor at a second rate of change of power that is lower than the firstrate of change of power during movement of the remote sensor unit at asecond rate of change of position that is lower than the first rate ofchange of position.

In either of the aspects noted above, certain optional features may beprovided, including:

The remote sensor unit can comprise a three-axis gyroscope, and thesensor data can comprise the orientation of the remote sensor unit.

The remote sensor unit can comprise a three-axis accelerometer, and thesensor data can comprise the movement of the remote sensor unit.

The remote sensor unit can comprise a three-axis accelerometer, theremote sensor unit can determine the position of the remote sensor unitrelative to a reference position, and the sensor data can comprise theposition of the remote sensor unit.

The motor control unit can control the power delivered to the at leastone motor.

The remote sensor unit can comprise a wireless transmission moduleconfigured to transmit the sensor data to the motor control unit.

The wireless transmission module can communicate with the motor controlunit via the Bluetooth™ wireless technology standard.

The wireless transmission module can communicate with the motor controlunit via the Wi-Fi™ wireless networking standard.

The remote sensor unit can comprise a light transmission moduleconfigured to transmit the sensor data to the motor control unit.

The light transmission module can communicate with the motor controlunit via infrared light.

The remote sensor unit can be coupled to the motor control unit via acommunications cable over which the remote sensor unit is configured tocommunicate the sensor data to the remote control unit over thecommunications cable.

The remote sensor unit can comprise a smartphone.

The remote sensor unit can comprise an actuatable user control toinitialize the at least one of the orientation and the position of theremote sensor unit.

The at least one of the orientation and the position can be determinedrelative to the foot-deck.

The motor control unit can be programmed to reduce speed of the electricvehicle (optionally to a speed of zero) upon determining that a distancebetween the remote sensor unit and the rest of the electric vehicleexceeds a selected distance.

The remote sensor unit can be programmed to control a plurality ofsettings for the vehicle.

In some embodiments, motion control for an electric vehicle can beachieved using a prime mover and a secondary mover, wherein movements inthe primary mover are detected by sensors such as gyros, accelerometersand the like, and signals sent to a control unit which causes asecondary mover to act in a selected way. This is different than remotecontrol or control by direct sensing of pressure.

In an aspect, an electric vehicle is disclosed, having at least onemotorized wheel and a platform for a rider to stand on, a motor controlunit mounted on the platform and a wearable remote sensor unit which isin wireless connection with the control unit. A rider of the vehicle isable to initialize the wireless connection between the vehicle controlunit and the remote sensor unit, whereby the initial 3D orientation ofthe remote sensor unit and its distance from the control unit isestablished. Once initialized, the system allows the rider to controlthe vehicle intuitively by leaning forwards, remaining still or leaningbackwards in relation to the vehicle. This pattern mimics the natural,intuitive movements of a skateboard rider. The system also provides asafety function, whereby the speed of the vehicle is slowed down if therelative distance between the control unit and the remote sensor unitexceeds a predefined maximum safety distance. The innovation brings anintuitive and exciting riding experience than at least some electricvehicles currently available.

In another aspect, an electric vehicle is provided, and includes aplatform positioned to support a rider, at least one motorized wheelrotatably connected to the platform and configured to drive movement ofthe platform along a support surface, a power source for powering the atleast one motorized wheel, a remote sensor unit that is wearable by therider and is configured to detect motion of the rider; and a motorcontrol unit that receives signals from the remote sensor unit andcontrols the operation of the at least one motorized wheel based atleast in part said signals.

Some embodiments of the electric vehicle described herein respond to arider's natural movements without the need for pressure sensors, therebyeliminating the need for the rider to apply pressure to certain parts ofa device in order to achieve certain desired movements.

Some embodiments of the electric vehicle described herein respond to arider's natural movements without the need for the rider to apply tomove their hands or feet in certain ways or to certain positions, or tooperate a control panel while riding the electric vehicle.

In some embodiments, the electric vehicle includes a power source and atleast one motorized wheel, a programmable motor control unit forcontrolling power to the wheels, and a wearable remote sensor unit inwireless connection with the motor control unit. The remote sensor unitis able to sense 3D orientation and distance from the motor controlunit. The system comprises an algorithm for operation in at least threestates including an initialization state, a safety state and a controlstate. In the initialization state, the rider can manually give input inorder to start the system up. During initialization, starting parametersare recorded by the system in order to calibrate it for the startingorientation and position of the remote sensor unit. In the safety state,the system monitors the relative distance between the motor control unitand the remote sensor unit. If the distance exceeds a selected value,the motor control unit will slow down the speed of the motorized wheels.In the control state, the system monitors the 3D orientation of theremote sensor unit, which is worn by the rider. If rider leans forward,the 3D orientation of the motion sensor will change in one angulardirection and motor control unit will accelerate the at least one wheel.If the rider remains stable, the speed of the at least one wheel willremain unchanged. If the rider leans backwards, the 3D orientation ofthe motion sensor will change in another angular direction the speed ofthe at least one wheel will be reduced.

In another aspect, a powered, foot-deck-based vehicle is provided,comprising a foot-deck configured to support a rider thereon, at leastone wheel rotatably coupled to the foot-deck to enable travel of thefoot-deck over a travel surface, at least one motor coupled to at leastone of the at least one wheel to drive rotation thereof, a power sourcecoupled to the at least one motor to transmit power the at least onemotor, a remote sensor unit that is wearable by the rider and isconfigured to detect at least one spatial property selected from anorientation, a position, and movement of the rider and is configured totransmit sensor data generated therefrom, and a motor control unitcoupled to the at least one motor and configured to receive the sensordata from the remote sensor unit and to control the operation of the atleast one motor based in part on the at least one spatial property andbased in part on a rate of change of the at least one spatial property.The motor control unit is configured to decelerate the vehicle if adistance between the remote sensor unit and the motor control unitexceeds a selected safety distance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the various embodiments described hereinand to show more clearly how they may be carried into effect, referencewill now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawingsin which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a schematic diagram of an electric skateboardaccording to an embodiment, with a rider;

FIG. 1A is a schematic illustration of a motor control unit that is partof the electric skateboard shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2A is a schematic representation of a smartphone for use with theelectric skateboard of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2B is a front view of the smartphone of FIG. 2A, showing elementsdisplayed on a display of the smartphone;

FIG. 3 shows a state transition diagram of the motor control unit in theelectric skateboard shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 shows an alternative state transition diagram of the motorcontrol unit in the electric skateboard shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For simplicity and clarity of illustration, where consideredappropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the Figures toindicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the embodiments described herein. However, it will beunderstood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodimentsdescribed herein may be practiced without these specific details. Inother instances, well-known methods, procedures and components have notbeen described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments describedherein. Also, the description is not to be considered as limiting thescope of the embodiments described herein.

Various terms used throughout the present description may be read andunderstood as follows, unless the context indicates otherwise: “or” asused throughout is inclusive, as though written “and/or”; singulararticles and pronouns as used throughout include their plural forms, andvice versa; similarly, gendered pronouns include their counterpartpronouns so that pronouns should not be understood as limiting anythingdescribed herein to use, implementation, performance, etc. by a singlegender; “exemplary” should be understood as “illustrative” or“exemplifying” and not necessarily as “preferred” over otherembodiments. Further definitions for terms may be set out herein; thesemay apply to prior and subsequent instances of those terms, as will beunderstood from a reading of the present description.

According to an embodiment and referring to FIG. 1, a poweredfoot-deck-based vehicle in the form of an electric skateboard 1 isprovided. While the powered foot-deck-based vehicle is illustrated anddescribed as an electric skateboard, it should be appreciated that othertypes of powered foot-deck-based vehicles can be employed, such asscooters, one- and two-wheeled self-balancing boards, etc. The electricskateboard 1 has a foot-deck that is in the shape of an elongated board1 a, wherein a rider 3 may ride the electric skateboard 1 while therider 3 stands in a generally sideways orientation relative to alongitudinal axis A of the board 1 a. The board 1 a may have anysuitable number of wheels 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the electricskateboard 1 has four wheels 2 mounted in pairs rotatably coupled to theboard 1 a on trucks. In other embodiments, the foot-deck-based vehiclecan have any number of wheels. In one alternative embodiment, thefoot-deck-based vehicle can have one or two wheels and can beself-balancing. In another alternative embodiment, the foot-deck-basedvehicle can be a scooter that has two, three, or four wheels. A motor 11is coupled to at least one of the four wheels 2 of the electricskateboard 1 for travel over a travel surface, such as pavement,asphalt, etc. In particular, the motor 11 is coupled to a pair of rearwheels 2 a on the rear truck of the electric skateboard 1 and drives therotation of the rear wheels 2 a. The wheels 2 also include a pair offront wheels 2 b that are not driven by the motor 11. In otherembodiments, two or more motors can be employed and may each drive oneor more wheels.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the rear pair of wheels 2 aredriven by the motor 11 relative to the intended travel direction for theelectric skateboard 1, which is shown at D.

A power source 5 is coupled to the motor 11 to power the motor 11. Thepower source 5 can include a single power module such as a rechargeablebattery pack or fuel cell, or can alternatively include two or morepower modules.

A motor control unit 4 is coupled to the motor 11 and has a receivermodule 7 that is attached to the board 1 a, preferably to the undersideof the board 1 a. The motor control unit 4 controls the operation of themotor 11, such as by controlling the delivery of power to the motor 11.As shown schematically in FIG. 1A, the motor control unit 4 may includea processor 4 a for running a program, random-access-memory (RAM) 4 b,where values can be stored temporarily during calculations or duringrunning of the program of the motor control unit 4, non-volatile memory4 c for storage of the program, and a communications interface 4 dpermitting communication between the motor control unit 4.

A rider 3 is equipped with a wearable remote sensor unit 6. The wearableremote sensor unit 6 is wearable by the rider 3 and may preferably beremovably attached to the rider 3 via an elastic strap 6 a or the like.The remote sensor unit 6 is positioned approximately at knee-height ofthe rider 3 indicated generally at H. Preferably, the remote sensor unit6 is held tightly against the rider 3 so that movement of the rider 3 isimmediately translated into motion of the remote sensor unit 6.

FIG. 2A shows an exemplary remote sensor unit 6. In this illustratedexample, the remote sensor unit 6 is a smartphone. The smartphone hasnon-volatile storage 40 storing an operating system and applicationsused by the smartphone, a processor 41 configured to execute theoperating system and applications, random access memory 42 providingrelatively fast temporary storage for the processor 41, a communicationsinterface 43, a gyroscope 44, and an accelerometer 45. Thecommunications interface 43 in this case is a wireless radio configuredfor Bluetooth communications in accordance with the Bluetooth wirelesstechnology standard. In other scenarios, the communications interface 43can be configured to communicate via the Wi-Fi wireless networkingstandard or some other suitable radio frequency communications standard.In further embodiments, the communications interface 43 can include alight transmission module that is configured to transmit data via light,such as infrared light. In still further embodiments, the communicationsinterface 43 of the smartphone may be coupled to the motor control unit4 via a communications cable that has a magnetic connector to enablerapid disconnection of the smartphone and connector cable to the motorcontrol unit in case the rider becomes separated from the electricskateboard 1, such as during a fall.

The smartphone also includes two sensors in the form of a gyroscopemodule 44 and an accelerometer module 45. The gyroscope module 44 maybe, for example, a three-axis gyroscope, but can include any other typeand number of gyroscopes. The gyroscope module 44 determines theorientation of the smartphone. The accelerometer module 45 includes athree-axis accelerometer in the illustrated embodiment, but canalternatively include any other type and number of accelerometers. Theaccelerometer module 44 determines the movement of the smartphone.

FIG. 2B shows a screen of an application for operating the electricskateboard 1 executing on the smartphone. The screen indicates a powerlevel of the power source 5 of the electric skateboard 1. Further, thescreen provides an actuatable user control in the form of a GUI button54 to initialize the remote sensor unit 6. During initialization, thesmartphone determines a reference orientation via the gyroscope module44. Further, it determines a reference position. After initialization,the smartphone collects sensor data from the gyroscope module 44 and theaccelerometer module 45. In the illustrated embodiment, the smartphonecommunicates the sensor data to the motor control unit 4 of the electricskateboard 1. Alternatively, the remote sensor unit can process thesensor data from the accelerometer module 45 to determine its positionrelative to the reference position determined at initialization. Inturn, the motor control unit 4 processes the sensor data to determinehow to control the motor 11 that powers the wheels 2 a.

The remote sensor unit can alternatively be another type of device, suchas a purpose-built apparatus that has an accelerometer and a gyroscope.Further, an actuatable user control can be provided to initialize thesystem.

Now referring mainly to FIG. 3 in addition to FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B,according to the preferred embodiment, the system comprising the motorcontrol unit 4, the receiver module 7 and the remote sensor unit 6 mayhave a programmed method shown in FIG. 3, broadly comprising threestates. In a first state 110, i.e., the initialize state, a rider 3 maybe able to prepare for riding the vehicle 1 by initializing the system,such as by actuating the GUI button 54, whereby the initial 3Dorientation and position of the remote sensor unit 6, relative to themotor control unit 4, is determined at 120 and the power to the motor 11and thus the rear wheels 2 a is enabled. Preferably, the rider 3 canpress a key on the remote sensor unit 6 to enter the initializationstate.

In a second state, i.e., the safety state, the system may maintain theconnection between the motor control unit 4 and remote sensor unit 6constantly to check whether the relative distance between the remotesensor unit 6 and the motor control unit 4 exceeds a selected distance(optionally referred to as a ‘safety distance’) (130). If the distanceexceeds the selected safety distance, the power to the motor 11 may bereduced in order to slow the electric skateboard 1 down to a stop (140).In other embodiments, the electric skateboard 1 may just be slowed downsomewhat.

In a third state, i.e., the control state, the system is able to detectthree main scenarios by examining the received sensor data from theremote sensor unit 6, including its orientation and position (150). Ifthe remote sensor unit 6 changes its 3D orientation in a forwarddirection (e.g., when the rider 3 leans forward), the power to the motor11 driving the driven rear wheels 2 a may be progressively increased(160). If the remote sensor unit 6 maintains constant 3D orientationrelative to the initial state, then the power to the wheels 2 may bekept constant (170). If the remote sensor unit 6 changes its 3Dorientation in a rearward direction 9, the power to the motor 11powering the wheels 2 a may be progressively reduced, optionallysufficiently to stop the electric skateboard 1 (180). Since the remotecontrol unit 6 is attached to (i.e., worn by) the rider 3 preferably atknee height as indicated at H, the rider 3 is able to control the powertransmitted to the wheels 2 by leaning forward 6′, staying in the startposition 6″ or leaning backwards 6″. In other words, it may be said thatthe system controls power to the motor based on the received sensor datafrom the remote sensor unit 6 so as to accelerate or decelerate thevehicle based on the received sensor data. An intuitive control of theelectric skateboard 1 is provided in this way.

The vehicle and the algorithm to control a vehicle are not limited tothe embodiments described above, but may also take other forms whichshould be obvious for a person skilled in the art. Thus, the describedvehicle according to another embodiment may have a foot platform wherethe intended travel direction is oriented fore-aft related to theposition of a rider's feet. It is also possible that the vehicleaccording to other embodiments may have any number of wheels other thanfour, for example it is perceivable for such a vehicle to have twowheels mounted individually on trucks, or even one single wheelindividually mounted. It will be understood that any one of the wheelsprovided may be motorized as long as sufficient ground friction isprovided at all times. According to yet another embodiment, the providedremote sensor unit may be attached to the rider in other ways, forexample it may attached to the rider's clothes in any location usingadhesive, stitching, Velcro or similar, or even attached directly to arider's skin or hand-held. It is also obvious to someone skilled in theart that the remote sensor unit could be provided in a smartphone suchas the Apple™ iPhone™, which incorporate motion sensors such as athree-axis accelerometer and communication hardware to communicate viaBluetooth, Wi-Fi™. It should also be understood by one skilled in theart that the motor control unit may be positioned anywhere on thevehicle. According to other embodiments of the innovation, the describedalgorithm (FIG. 2) may comprise more states than those described, suchas states enabling fast acceleration, fast braking or turning.

Reference is made to FIG. 4, which illustrates another method of controlof the vehicle. The method illustrated in FIG. 4 may be similar to themethod shown in FIG. 3, and may include the same first two states,namely the first or initialize state 110 and the second or safety state130. The third state, namely, the control state is shown at 250 may bedifferent than the control state illustrated in FIG. 3. In the controlstate in FIG. 4, the system receives sensor data from the remote sensorunit 6, including at least one of the orientation and position of theremote sensor unit 6 and the rate of change of the at least one of theorientation and position of the remote sensor unit (state 250). If theremote sensor unit 6 changes its 3D orientation in a forward direction(e.g., when the rider 3 leans forward), the power to the motor 11driving the driven rear wheels 2 a may be progressively increased (160).If the remote sensor unit 6 maintains constant 3D orientation relativeto the initial state, then the power to the wheels 2 may be keptconstant (170). If the remote sensor unit 6 changes its 3D orientationin a rearward direction 9, the power to the motor 11 powering the wheels2 a may be progressively reduced, optionally sufficiently to stop theelectric skateboard 1 (180). Since the remote control unit 6 is attachedto (i.e., worn by) the rider 3 preferably at knee height as indicated atH, the rider 3 is able to control the power transmitted to the wheels 2by leaning forward 6′, staying in the start position 6″ or leaningbackwards 6′″. In other words, similar to the embodiment in FIG. 3, itmay be said that the system controls power to the motor based on thereceived sensor data from the remote sensor unit 6 so as to accelerateor decelerate the vehicle based on the received sensor data. However,the system controls power to the motor 11 not just based on positionand/or orientation data for the remote sensor unit 6, but also, as notedabove, based on rate of change of the said position and/or orientationdata for the remote sensor unit 6. Therefore, the profile over time ofthe power transmitted to the motor 11 will be different if the usermoved the remote sensor unit 6 quickly to a new position, then it wouldbe if the user moved the remote sensor unit 6 more slowly to the samenew position. For example, power may be increased or decreased to themotor 11 at a higher rate if the user moves the remote sensor unit 6quickly to a new position, than if the user moves the remove sensor unit6 less quickly to the new position. This is a more intuitive controlthan of the vehicle than even the embodiment described in FIG. 3.

It can be seen from FIG. 4 and the description above, that the remotesensor unit 6 is configured to detect at least one spatial property ofthe remote sensor unit 6 (and therefore of the rider 3) selected from anorientation, a position, and movement and is configured to transmitsensor data generated therefrom. It can also be seen that the motorcontrol unit 4 is configured to receive the sensor data from the remotesensor unit 6 and to control the operation of the at least one motorbased in part on the at least one spatial property and based in part ona rate of change of the at least one spatial property. The rate ofchange of the at least one spatial property may be sent from the remotesensor unit 6 to the motor control unit 4. Alternatively, the motorcontrol unit 4 may calculate the rate of change of the at least onespatial property based on at least one stored prior value for the atleast one spatial property and at least one associated stored time stampfor the at least one stored prior value. For example, in an embodimentwhere the at least one spatial property is position, the remote sensorunit 6 may transmit a first position P1 at time t1, and may transmit asecond position P2 at time t2. The motor control unit 4 may receive thefirst position P1 at time t1, and then may receive the new position P2at time t2, and stores P1, P2, t1 and t2 in different memory locationsin its memory. The motor control unit 4 may then calculate the value forthe rate of change of the position of the remote sensor unit 6 (e.g. bycalculating (P2−P1)/(t2−t1)). The value for the rate of change of theposition may itself be stored in yet another memory location. The motorcontrol unit 4 may change the power sent to the motor 11 to a new valuethat is based on the new position P2 and may control the rate of changeof power being sent to the motor based on the calculated rate of changeof position.

In an example, the motor control unit 4 changes power to the motor 11 ata first rate of change of power during movement of the remote sensorunit 6 at a first rate of change of position, and the motor control unit4 changes power to the at least one motor at a second rate of change ofpower that is lower than the first rate of change of power duringmovement of the remote sensor unit at a second rate of change ofposition that is lower than the first rate of change of position.

By contrast, in some devices of the prior art, where, for example, aremote control is provided to control operation of a foot-deck-basedvehicle, the system increases or decreases power to the motor 11 at afixed rate of change, regardless of how quickly the user has moved theremote sensor unit 6 to a new position.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that there are yet morealternative implementations and modifications possible, and that theabove examples are only illustrations of one or more implementations.The scope, therefore, is only to be limited by the claims appendedhereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electrically powered ride-on vehicle,comprising: a body configured to support a rider thereon; at least onewheel rotatably coupled to the body to enable travel of the body over atravel surface; at least one motor coupled to at least one of the atleast one wheel to drive rotation thereof; a power source coupled to theat least one motor to power the at least one motor; a remote sensor unitthat is holdable by the rider and is configured to detect at least onespatial property of the remote sensor unit selected from an orientation,a position, and movement of the rider and is configured to transmitsensor data generated therefrom; and a motor control unit coupled to theat least one motor and configured to receive the sensor data from theremote sensor unit and to control the operation of the at least onemotor based in part on the at least one spatial property and based inpart on a rate of change of the at least one spatial property, whereinthe motor control unit changes power to the motor at a first rate ofchange of power during movement of the remote sensor unit at a firstrate of change of position, and the motor control unit changes power tothe at least one motor at a second rate of change of power that is lowerthan the first rate of change of power during movement of the remotesensor unit at a second rate of change of position that is lower thanthe first rate of change of position, wherein the remote sensor unitcomprises a three-axis accelerometer, and wherein the at least onespatial property includes the movement of the remote sensor unit.
 2. Anelectrically powered ride-on vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein theremote sensor unit comprises a three-axis gyroscope, and wherein the atleast one spatial property includes the orientation of the remote sensorunit.
 3. An electrically powered ride-on vehicle as claimed in claim 1,wherein the remote sensor unit determines the position of the remotesensor unit relative to a reference position, and wherein the at leastone spatial property comprises the position of the remote sensor unit.4. An electrically powered ride-on vehicle as claimed in claim 1,wherein the remote sensor unit comprises a wireless transmission moduleconfigured to transmit the sensor data to the motor control unit.
 5. Anelectrically powered ride-on vehicle as claimed in claim 4, wherein thewireless transmission module communicates with the motor control unitvia the Bluetooth™ wireless technology standard.
 6. An electricallypowered ride-on vehicle as claimed in claim 4, wherein the wirelesstransmission module communicates with the motor control unit via theWi-Fi™ wireless networking standard.
 7. An electrically powered ride-onvehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote sensor unit comprisesa light transmission module configured to transmit the sensor data tothe motor control unit.
 8. An electrically powered ride-on vehicle asclaimed in claim 7, wherein the light transmission module communicateswith the motor control unit via infrared light.
 9. An electricallypowered ride-on vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote sensorunit is coupled to the motor control unit via a communications cableover which the remote sensor unit is configured to communicate thesensor data to the remote control unit over the communications cable.10. An electrically powered ride-on vehicle as claimed in claim 1,wherein the remote sensor unit is a smartphone.
 11. An electricallypowered ride-on vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote sensorunit includes an actuatable user control to initialize the remote sensorunit so as to set a relationship between the at least one spatialproperty of the remote sensor unit and at least one selected spatialproperty of the body.
 12. An electrically powered ride-on vehicle asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one of the orientation and theposition are determined relative to the body.
 13. An electricallypowered ride-on vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the motor controlunit is programmed to reduce speed of the electric vehicle upondetermining that a distance between the remote sensor unit and the restof the electric vehicle exceeds a selected distance.
 14. An electricallypowered ride-on vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote sensorunit is programmed to control a plurality of settings for the vehicle.15. An electrically powered ride-on vehicle, comprising: a bodyconfigured to support a rider thereon; at least one wheel rotatablycoupled to the body to enable travel of the body over a travel surface;at least one motor coupled to at least one of the at least one wheel todrive rotation thereof; a power source coupled to the at least one motorto transmit power the at least one motor; a remote sensor unit that iswearable by the rider and is configured to detect at least one spatialproperty of the remote sensor selected from an orientation, a position,and movement of the rider and is configured to transmit sensor datagenerated therefrom; and a motor control unit coupled to the at leastone motor and configured to receive the sensor data from the remotesensor unit and to control the operation of the at least one motor basedin part on the at least one spatial property and based in part on a rateof change of the at least one spatial property, wherein the motorcontrol unit is configured to decelerate the vehicle if a distancebetween the remote sensor unit and the motor control unit exceeds aselected safety distance.
 16. An electrically powered ride-on vehicle,comprising: a body configured to support a rider thereon; at least onewheel rotatably coupled to the body to enable travel of the body over atravel surface; at least one motor coupled to at least one of the atleast one wheel to drive rotation thereof; a power source coupled to theat least one motor to power the at least one motor; a remote sensor unitthat is holdable by the rider and is configured to detect at least onespatial property of the remote sensor unit selected from an orientation,a position, and movement of the rider and is configured to transmitsensor data generated therefrom; and a motor control unit coupled to theat least one motor and configured to receive the sensor data from theremote sensor unit and to control the operation of the at least onemotor based in part on the at least one spatial property and based inpart on a rate of change of the at least one spatial property, whereinthe motor control unit changes power to the motor at a first rate ofchange of power during movement of the remote sensor unit at a firstrate of change of position, and the motor control unit changes power tothe at least one motor at a second rate of change of power that is lowerthan the first rate of change of power during movement of the remotesensor unit at a second rate of change of position that is lower thanthe first rate of change of position, wherein the remote sensor unitcomprises a three-axis accelerometer, wherein the remote sensor unitdetermines the position of the remote sensor unit relative to areference position, and wherein the at least one spatial propertycomprises the position of the remote sensor unit.